Richardson, K. (2008). Don’t feed the trolls: Using blogs to teach civil discourse. Learning &
Leading with Technology, 35 (7), 12-15.
Points of Thought:
1. Briefly describe what you will use from this article for your own teaching practice.
The article “Don’t Feed the Trolls” discusses the use of civil discourse in the classroom. It talks about the importance of setting down rules for discussion, especially in online blogs and discussion boards. I agree that civil discourse is important for students to understand, especially in a youth culture centered so much around online social networking. If students learn from an early age the appropriate behavior in online environments, they will know how to deal with online situations in their future.
While the article does talk about the importance of online rules, it also points out that the standard rules set forth are often too vague for students to really understand and are therefore ineffective. I believe that this is an interesting to point to think about. The article gives a list of more specific rules for people to follow, such as no name-calling and avoiding labeling. I think that this list is a great starting point to discuss what it means to behave appropriately online. On top of what is listed in the article, however, I also would have the students work together to think of other rules or guidelines that would help promote a learning environment. By involving the students in the rule making process it would make the students feel more responsible as well as the rules more personal.
Another idea from the article that I found would be helpful to use when teaching a classroom is the idea of group reflection. The students would benefit from seeing examples of discussions with the desired outcome and content compared to the discussions that did not promote collaboration. By doing this, the students would be able to see first hand how to appropriately disagree with a statement as well as effectively support a post that they agsree with. Most importantly, however, I think that it would help the students see how everyone has different views and to treat those that are different with respect.
2. Find at least one more article that furthers the discussion on Blogs. Tell us where it can be located and describe what you found helpful about it.
When looking online at other articles about blogging in schools, I found that this topic is one that should be taken very seriously. It is important for students to understand the line between discussion/debate and attacks/rudeness. When reading over various websites and pages devoted to this topic, I found one in particular that would be helpful for a teacher trying to teach a lesson on civil discourse. It was created by a teacher for her students and goes through a detailed list of what is acceptable and what is not. While I would not use this direct site and list of rules for my class, it would definitely will be a helpful starting point for my own lessons in the future. I also find this list helpful because it includes not only online etiquette but also online safety and ethics tips.
To read the article, follow the link in the citation below:
Hughes, Mrs. (2009). Discovery Blogging Rules. wikispaces, http://discovery0607.wikispaces.com/Discovery+Blogging+Rules .
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of creating a video to teach students about various cultures. Have you thought about how you might do this? Our local libraries offer cultural programs throughout the year. Oftentimes there is an expert speaking and music, customs and geographical information such as maps are shared. This may be one way to capture video.
There are so many possible ways to go about a project like this. As the teacher you can create the video or depending on the student age group, guide them through a year long program culminating in the finished product. Thank you for sharing this idea. It makes me want to work with older elementary ed. students for a change.
You've demonstrated that one of your strengths is clearly creativity!
Kristine
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThe overall visual aesthetics of your blog are fantastic! All of your answers are insightful and well thought out. I particularly enjoyed your response about databases in the classroom. I personally remember having to learn about all fifty states and capitals during school, so there is no doubt that something such as this would not only be pertinent in the classroom, but also extremely useful. The idea of creating a spreadsheet after inputting the information into a database seems particularly functional, especially since this is something that not only students, but everyone should be educated. I think that a spreadsheet would also be very constructive if the students had to eventually take a test on the states information. Having the spreadsheet already made would be a very helpful study tool. Thank you for sharing this awesome idea!
Desiree
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI liked your response to the article "Don't Feed the Trolls". Particularly the idea of letting the students help come up with their own guidelines and rules. I think that this is an important part of the trust and consistency neccesary for good classroom management. you could even have them come up with their list of guidelines beforehand and then compare it to what is suggested in the article. Also I like the template that you used in your blog, it is the same one that i used.
Thomas Polhill
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYour blog looks really good. I enjoyed reading through your responses. I think your idea about using video in a classroom to show different cultures is a great idea, and addressing tolerance is so important especially at a young age. I also agree with you about the importance of choosing software that addresses different learners. Each student learns at a different pace and in a different way so this is very important for educators to always be thinking about. I also came up with the same idea for using a database. There is so much to learn about each state and learning about all 50 can be hard for students so I think this would be a great way for students to learn. Great job on your blog!
Raeanna Soderholm